Container with elastic strip cell structure



Feb. 20, 1951 1.. M. DIXON 2,542,640

CONTAINER WITH ELASTIC STRIP CELL STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 18, 1945 /Z7 Z020 A? /z 22 /5 Z2 /9d .J 26 J0 k7 J0 M INVENTOR Lem/J M. 17424022*UA-LLL- 29 J2 J0 ATTORNEYS Patented F eb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CONTAINER WITH. ELASTIC STRIP QELL. STRUCTURE.

12 Claims.

This invention relates to means, such as kits for holding and/orcarrying bottles, containers, and other small articles which often formpart of luggage.

An object of' the invention is to provide a simple and practical,economically produceable means, as for instance, a traveling kit ormedicine chest, which will firmly hold, neatly arranged in partitionedspaces, a large number of different size, relatively small articles suchas bottles, cans, tubes for" paste, brushes, small packages, boxes,luggage and the like, so that these articles may be conveniently andsafely stored, or transported in upright condition and so as to bereadily accessible for use.

Thisis accomplished bythe provision of a novel partitioning unit andcontainer enclosingand supporting the same, the'partitioning unit beingsoarranged that the size of the individual spaces provided thereby maybe increased or decreased substantially, and the shape of the spaceschanged, so as to receive and conform to articles of a large variety ofshapes and sizes. Besides, as the kit comprising. the .unit andcontainer. is preferably made, the articles of assortedsizes and shapesmay be carried within the container, resting on the bottom thereof orother-support, these articles being firmly held in spaced iuxta: posedpositions so that breakage, spillage, etc., is

pr n ed a d o t tthe rt c es are neatly.

arran ed a readi y acc ssiblen o e mbodim nt of the nv ntion illusa edhe n as exe p a ereo e artiti n:

ns. u t comprises aframe adapted to closel fit within e es of the cotain r, and rest.

a a st e b t om o t e latter, t e frame having fi t stripsor ribbons ofelastic mate l,

such as rubber carried by it in crisscross manner so as to formsubstantially a resilient andex e b partit in atticework- T estrips adisposed edgewise to the bottomoi thecontainer, and a e ocated at twolev s. o e above heo er. the portions of the strips in each levelextending in spaced parallel relation with each other.

Since thestripsare stretchableand therefore displaceable with respect toeach other, they may be shifted so as to changethe openings between themtoaccommodate different sizes and shapes of articles.

The partitioning unit is preferably complete in itself, and may besecured inside the container either permanently or temporarily, inthelatter case the unit being removable if it is desired to mploy thecontainer for some other. purpose.

The partitioning unit may cover the entire bottom of the container oronly part of it as desired, and instead of one, a pair of partitioningunits may be used and these may be spaced from eachother, some; an areaof the bottom'of the container between-them is left free for supportinglarge or bulky articles not suitable for suppo'rtfby the partitioningunits.

Qther features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1' is a perspective view of one embodiment ofmy invention, thecase or container being shown'broken away to reveal its interior.

Fig. 2 is a top or-plan view of the container and partitioning unit, thecover of the container" being removed and 'a number of bottles beingshown supported by the unit in spaced juxtaposed-positions.

Fig; 3 is a top orplan view of a container having two separatedpartitioning units, the

cover of-the container being removed.

Fig. 4 is a-fragmentary-perspective of a container made according toanother modification of the invention, and

Fig. 5 isan elevationof a screw peg used in the container of Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the traveling or medicine kit exemplifying.the present invention comprises-a container [0 of rectangular shape,

having a. bottom ll, side walls 12 and end walls [3; The case orcontainer 10 has a suitable cover lkwhich. may be hinged or otherwisefastened in place, a, carrying handle 1.4a. being secured to the cover.

For the purpose of supporting articles of various size and shape inneatly arranged positions-within thecontainersill, a novel partitioningunit [5 is provided, adapted to rest against the bottom H of the case,this unit comprising a pair of spaced parallel side rails i6 which attheir ends are mortised intospaced-parallel end rails IT. The; rails l6and I1, which may be formed of wood. may besecured together in anysuitable manner as by gluing, nailing, etc. As shown in Fig. 1 the.endrails ll are made higher than the side rails 16 so that the topsurfaces of the sets of rails lie indifferent planes, for purposes to beexplained later. However, by this construction the joining or mortisingof the rail ends is simplified, the rails I1 being merely notched toreceive the ends of the rails- 16.

For the. purpose of providing a simple and economical, flexiblelatticework stretching across the frame l5, the sets of rails I6 and I!are provided with upstanding pegs l8 arranged in rows strip I9 issecured to the opposite end-peg of the rail [6 as shown.

In a similar manner the elastic strip 26 is secured at its ends to theend-pegs it of one of the rails H, and is stretched back and fortharound the pegs to extend above the strip 19 and to also span the areaenclosed by the frame.

The strips i9 and 28 therefore form a crisscross pattern or grid,crossing each other at an angle, in the present instance, ofapproximately 90.

this arrangement a large space 29 is left between the frames 21 and 28so that large or bulky articles, or articles which it is not desired tosupport within the partitions of the frames, may still be included andcarried within the case.

The frames 21 and 28 may be formed similarly to the frame if: alreadydescribed. For instance, the frame 2t may have end rails 30 mortisedinto side rails 3!, both sets of rails carrying upright pegs 32 aroundwhich are stretched flat elastic bands or strips 33 and 34.

--The strip 32- is spaced above the bottom of the container by thethickness of the rails 30,

Due to the upright positioning of the pegs l8, the

strips will be disposed edgewise with respect to the bottom it of thecontainer, and the strip 19 will be spaced from the bottom by thethickness or height of the rails IS.

The latticework formed by the strips will provide, in effect, partitionshaving yieldable or displaceable walls, and the kit and partitioningunit as thus provided by the invention will be able to firmly support inneatly arranged, spaced, juxtaposed positions, a large number ofarticles of various sizes and shapes. Referring to Fig. 2 a large bottle21 is shown as being supported between the -portions We and Gd of thestrip iii-and between the portions 290 and 26d of the strip 28. Also, apair of smaller containers 22 of round shape, and a container 23 ofsubstantially square shape are shown supported by other portions of thestrips is and 20.

It will be evident that small articles may be supported in constrictedspaces such as the spaces 24, 25, 26, etc., formed by displacement ofportions of the strips l9 and after articles of comparatively largegirth have been inserted.

The elastic strips 19 and 20 may be stretched quite tightly between therails E6 and N, thereby providing firm supporting surfaces forengagement with the sides of the articles being carried. The pressuresthus exerted, together with the widths of the strips [9 and 23,effectively support articles regardless of their shape, and preventbreakage, spillage, etc. Also, the surfaces ofthe strips i9 and 28, whenthe latter are made'of rubber, have a non-skid or gripping action whichprevents any tendency for slippage. where the articles are beingengaged, and this further contributes to the efiicacy of thepartitioning unit.

Theends of the strips 19 and 26 may be secured to the pegs 18 in anysuitable manner. However, they are shown as being formed into eyes orloops which are merely slipped over the pegs. The procedure of applyingthe strips 59 and 20 to the rails I6 and I! of the frame may thereforeobviously be carried out with extreme ease and rapidity.

The frame it may be secured in the case 10 in any suitable manner,either permanently or emountably, and if the latter mounting isemployed, the container may be used for other purposes by merely liftingout the frame and setting it aside.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Fig. 3. According to thisform the case I0 is provided with a pair of partitioning frames 27, 28adapted to be spaced from each other and to fit across the end portionsof the container. By

and the strip 33 is located in a level above that of the strips 35 byvirtue of the rails 31 being of greater height than the rails 36.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a container made according to a modification ofthe invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the container may have acomparatively thick wood bottom 35 so that pegs in the form of roundheadwood screws 33 may be firmly screwed and supported therein without theirtips breaking through the underside. The screws 36 are each of suchlength that a portion of the shank below the head projects from theinside surface of the bottom 35 sufficiently to enable a flat elasticstrip 37 to be wrapped around the said shank portion, the strip beingpassed back and forth in zigzag fashion between rows of screws asalready described above. Preferably the threads 38 of the screws 38extend along the entire shank, as shown in Fig. 5, and have fiattedcrests 38a at least where they are exposed for engagement with the strip31. By this arrangement there is reduced any tendency for the elasticstrip to slip on the screws due to an unbalanced pull on adjacentportions of the strip, since the threads 38 would tend to move the stripedgewise, either against the container bottom 35 or against thescrewheads 39. By fiatting the screw thread crests, the sharp edges-areremoved, and there is avoided cutting of the strip 3'1.

As shown in Fig. 4, end rails 49 may be mounted on the bottom 35 of thecontainer adjacent the ends 4i, and may be secured to the latter ifdesired, and screws 42 anchored in the end rails to carry a second fiatelastic strip 43, which is located above and edgewise to the strip 31,and is zigzag path, crisscrossing the strip 3?.

If desired, the screws 42 may be of stout diame ter, and long enough toextend into and anchor to the bottom 35, and the end rails 4i) may thenbe dispensed with entirely. With this arrangement, the threads of thescrews 42 would prevent the elastic strip 43 from slippinglongitudinally on the shanks, as would also the edgewise engagement ofthe strips 3? and 43.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of thisinvention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1.'An article-supporting unit for use in a case, comprising a frameadapted to be supported adjacent the bottom of the case; and a resilientlatticework comprising two sets of fiat elastic strips extending backand forth across the frame from side to side, the strips of each setbeing in spaced relation with each other and being disposed edge- Wiseto the bottom-of the casing, and the strips sciatic s, thatarticles ofdifferent girth maybe supported in upright position on the bottom of thecase between transverse pairs of-a-djacent strips of both the said sets.a

2. =In a kit fol-supporting and carrying different size articles inspaced,.juxtaposed relation to each other, comprising a casing having abottom, side walls, and atop hinged to the walls, said top having ahandle whereby the casing may be lifted and carried; the combination ofa resilient latticework stretched across the inside of the casing andcomprising flat strips of resilient material extending back and forthacross the casing in edgewise relation, the strips being stretchable andtherefore displaceable with respect to one another to vary the spacingbetween them, so that different size articles may be inserted each inaspace between transversely extendingpairs of adjacent strips, thearticles thereby being supportedupright in spaced, juxtaposedrelationship by theifiat surfaces of the strips when the .kit is carriedby said handle.

3. A kit for supporting dilferent size articles in spaced, juxtaposedrelation to each other, comprising a casing; and two sets or fiatelastic strips's'ecured in the casing, the strips of each set extendingbetween opposite walls'of the casing in spaced, broadside relation witheach other, and the strips of one set being disposed edgewise to and atan angle with the strips of the other set to thereby providesubstantially circumscribed spaces which may be enlarged by stretchingand displacing the strips, so that articles of difierent girth may besupported in juxtaposed, spaced relationship between transverse pairs ofadjacent strips of both the said sets.

4. A kit for supporting diiferbnt size articles in spaced, juxtaposedrelation to each other, comprising a casing having a bottom and sidewalls; and two sets of fiat elastic strips secured in the casing,disposed edgewise to the bottom of the latter and spaced therefrom, thestrips of each set extending back and forth between opposite walls ofthe casing in spaced relation with each other, and the strips of one setbeing disposed at an angle to the strips of the other set to therebyprovide substantially circumscribed spaces which may be enlarged bystretching and displacing the strips, so that articles of differentgirth may be supported in upright position on the casing bottom betweentransverse pairs of adjacent strips of both the said sets.

5. An article-supporting unit for use in a case, comprising a frameadapted to be supported within the case, said frame having pairs ofoppositely disposed parallel rails connected together at their ends, onepair of rails overlapping the other pair so they lie in differentlevels; upstand ing pegs carried by the rails; a flat elastic stripextending around the pegs of, and back and forth between the first setof rails so that portions of the strip are in spaced, juxtaposedrelation, said strip being disposed edgewise to the bottom of the caseand spaced therefrom; and a second fiat elastic strip located above thefirst strip and extending around the pegs of, and back and forth betweenthe second pair of rails so that portions of the second strip are inspaced juxtaposed relation, said portions of the first and second stripcrossing each other at an angle thereby to provide substantiallycircumscribed spaces which may be enlarged by stretching and displacingthe strips, so that articles of different girth, while resting on thecasing bottom, may be supported in spaced, juxtaposed relationshipbetween transverse adj acent-por-tions of Y theisaid first and -sec ondstrips.

6. A kit for supporting different size articles in spaced, juxtaposedrelation to each other, comprising a rectangular casi-ng having a bottomand side walls; a frame within the casing-comprising a pair of parallelrails extending respectively along one pair of opposite walls adjacentthebottom, and a second pair of parallel rails extending along the otheropposite walls, supported on the ends of the first pair of rails to bepositioned thereabove; aset of fiat elastic strips securedto the firstpair of rails andextending over the space between the latter in-spacedrelation, said strips-being disposed edgewise to'the casing bottom, tolie substantially'in the same level as the second pair of rails; and asecond set of flat elastic strips secured to the second pair of railsand extending over the space between the latter-in spaced relation, thestrips of the said second set extending over and at an angle tothestripsof the first set 'to thereby provide substantiallycircumscribed spaces which may be enlarged by stretching and displacingthe strips, so that articles of different girth, while resting on thecasing bottom, may be supported in spaced, juxtaposed relationshipbetween transverse pairs of adjacent strips of both the said sets.

'7. A kit for supporting different size articles in spaced, juxtaposedrelation to each other, comprising a rectangular casing having a bottomand side walls; a frame within the casing, comprising a pair of parallelrails extending respectively along one pair of opposite walls adjacentthe bottom, and a second pair of parallel rails extending along theother opposite walls, secured to the ends of the first pair of rails;upstanding pegs carried by the rails; a flat elastic strip extendingaround the pegs of, and back and forth between the first set of rails sothat portions of the strip are in spaced, juxtaposed relation, saidstrip being disposed edgewise to the casing bottom and spaced therefrom;and a second flat elastic strip located above the first strip andextending around the pegs of, and back and forth between the second pairof rails so that portions of the second strips are in spaced, juxtaposedrelation, said portions of the first and second strip crossing eachother at an angle thereby to provide substantially circumscribed spaceswhich may be enlarged by stretching and displacing the strips, so thatarticles of different girth, while resting on the casing bottom, may besupported in spaced, juxtaposed relationship between transverse adjacent portions of the said first and second strips.

8. A kit for supporting different size articles in spaced, juxtaposedrelation to each other, cornprising a casing having a bottom and sidewalls; rows of headed screws which project upward in a direction awayfrom the casing bottom, said rows extending along the interiors of theside walls and the shanks of the screws being substantially completelythreaded; and sets of elastic strips secured respectively to oppositerows of screws, the strips of each set being passed around the screwshanks so as to extend in equispaced substantially parallel relationwith each other, and the strips of one set extending closely adjacent,and at an angle to the strips or the other set to thereby providesubstantially circumscribed spaces which may be enlarged by stretchingand displacing the strips, so that articles of different girth may besupported between transverse pairs of adjacent strips, the threads ofthe shanks preventing slippage of the strips on the latter.

9. A kit for supporting different size articles in spaced, juxtaposedrelation to each other, comprising a casing having a bottom and sidewalls; rows of headed screws which project upward in a direction awayfrom the casing bottom, said rows extending along the interiors of theside Walls and the shanks of the screws being sub stantially completelythreaded; and sets of elastic strips secured respectively to oppositerows of screws, the strips of each set being passed around the screwshanks so as to extend in equispaced substantially parallel relationwith each other, and the strips of one set being disposed closelyadjacent, and at an angle to the strips of the other set to therebyprovide substantially circumscribed spaces which may be enlarged bystretching and displacing the strips, so that articles of difierentgirth may be supported between transverse pairs of adjacent strips, thethreads of the shanks where engaging the strips being flatted to preventcutting of the latter, and said threads preventing slippage of thestrips on the shanks.

10. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein the pegs for supportingthe strips have smooth cylindrical walls.

11. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein the pegs supporting thestrips comprise headed screws, said screws having the ends threaded intothe rails with the shanks engaging the strips and the heads overlyingthe upper edges of the strips.

12. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein the threads on the pegsengaged by the strips prevent slippage'of the strips on the pegs and areflattened to prevent cutting of the strips.

LEWIS M. DIXON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 185,794 Sprout Dec. 26, 1876274,038 Sheehey Mar. 13, 1883 433,161 Benoit July 29, 1890 500,955 RuskJuly 4, 1893 766,829 Kenny Aug. 9, 1904 1,324,580 Birnstock Dec. 9, 1919I 1,650,980 Campbell Nov. 29, 1927 2,134,908 Copeman Nov. 1, 1938FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 448,528 France Nov. 28, 1912

